The present invention generally relates to laser welding and in some embodiments, to a laser welding assembly having a waveguide apparatus.
Laser transmission welding is a relatively new processing technique for joining elements made of various materials. For example, laser transmission welding can be used to join plastic elements. In many cases, it is necessary for one of the two materials being joined to be substantially transparent or at least partially transparent to the light produced by the welding laser. The second material must be able to absorb the laser energy and heat up, thereby melting the surrounding material. Therefore, the second material is often opaque or at least transmits less light than the first material. Also, in many cases the pieces of material to be joined must be in contact with each other such that when the second material absorbs the laser energy, heat can be transferred to both materials, resulting in the melting and joining of the two materials. The infrared transmission rate of the top material is important in the transmission laser welding process. If the transmission rate is too low, the energy absorbed in the first material can overheat and degrade the first material before the laser energy is transmitted to the second material.